Below is a quick overview of the things you should be looking for in the company you hire to handle your IT needs.

1. Technical Expertise and Strong Communications Skills: Your IT partner should include people who utilize IT in a cost-effective way to solve your business problems, and must be able to bridge the communications gap that often exists between IT and the CEO’s office.

2. An Awareness of Your Budget &Resources: IT Partners are proving increasingly essential, but should not come with crippling expense. Fixed fees that include support go a long way towards a first class IT infrastructure and sticking to a budget saves money in the long run.

3. An Advocate Who Cuts Through the Hype: Software and hardware companies continuously release new products and certainly make them sound great. A true IT partner will let you know what you actually need, don’t need, and how to maximize the products you already own.

4. A Long-Term Planner, Implementer & Strategist: Well thought out and planned IT becomes a valuable business tool for sales, operations, security and more. Your IT partner needs to understand your needs of today as well as help plan for the future in an orderly and cost-effective way.

5. An Industry Watcher Who Maps Tech Advances to Your Needs: This is a double-pronged attack: your partner must not only keep abreast of all technology developments that may affect your business, but also work with you to understand the changing needs of your business as market conditions evolve.

6. A Keen Ability to Prevent, Troubleshoot & Solve Problems: Proper monitoring, back-up and protection provided by a well-trained staff will sharply reduce the number of problems that occur, but when they do, your IT partner must have the expertise to solve these problems quickly and without interrupting your business.

7. An Interest in Handling All Your Technology Needs: You do not want to work with a company that “cherry-picks” the work they want to do then leaves you on your own to figure out the rest…or turns you over to a 3^rd party and washed their hands of it. You need a partner that takes responsibility for IT from beginning to end.

Finding the right IT partner is critical as technology is constantly changing with new developments that can propel your business forward. You need a team with the right engineers, support technicians, and executive personnel who can not only help yu with the needs of today, but help you plan for the future.

Digital Disruption is a powerful force that can drive your business to new heights.

Last week DynaSis held a Lunch & Learn on Digital Disruption at Fleming’s Steakhouse in Dunwoody and we were pleased to welcome C-Level execs from all over the Atlanta Metro area.  Digital Disruption is an interesting concept that is becoming more well recognized as it affects more and ore industries in general and businesses in particular. As we see it, Digital Disruption exists on three levels.

Level 1 disruptions are those that have major repercussions on the way almost all of us live, work or do business. Among these are:

• Invention of the television
• Invention of the computer
• Development of the personal computer
• The Internet.

Each of these is a technological advancement and each had/has a major effect on our daily lives.

The next level of digital disruption occurs on and industry-wide basis. Think of events such as:

• The effects Uber has had on the taxicab industry
• How AirBnB has affected the hotel business
• The disruption in the DVD rental business caused by Netflix

In each of these cases, the product hasn’t really changed (individual consumer transportation, overnight stays in rented facilities, movie rentals). What changed are the delivery methods.

But for digital disruption to have a positive affect on an individual business, it does not have to be as all-encompassing as inventing a personal computer, or revolutionizing the way people hire rides. It means taking advantage of the technology that is available today and becoming a truly digital business. Today, every business is a technology business, using computers, CRMs, MicroSoft Office and may other tools. But understand this: having computers, servers, and software does not make you a digital business and will not bring about the positive digital disruption that can bring about the four outcomes we expect from a truly digital business:

• Increased profitability
• Reduced costs
• Minimized risks
• Maximized growth

…all leading to: Increased profitability.

For this to happen, technology has become woven into the very fabric of your company…to become part of your “DNA.” There are developments happening on an almost daily basis that can be of significant benefit to you, or to your competitors. The questions is, which companies will take advantage of this.

We are always hearing from small to mid-sized business owners and execs, “But my business isn’t like that. We’ll never be a technology driven industry." Well, tell that to the cab owners in NYC whose “medallions” (the restricted licenses they buy from the city) have decreased in value from $1,000,000 to $500,000 each. Or the owners of Blockbuster stock, now selling for $.01 a share now that their 8,000 stores have decreased to just 12.

But, again, digital disruption occurs a thousand times more often on an individual business level than on an industry wide basis. Over the next few weeks, we will illustrate with examples of how individual companies have used digital disruption within their own businesses to accelerate growth and profitability.

If you would like to learn more about digital disruption, read our White Paper on the subject, or let us know that you would like to attend our next seminar or webinar.

DynaSis is an Atlanta based managed IT service provider and has worked with a variety local manufacturers since its inception in 1992. DynaSis world-class data center provides safe, reliable and economical cloud computing service to its clients. www.DynaSis.com. 678.218.1769.

Millennial generation workers...give them the technology tools they need, and your rewards will follow.

With the millennial workforce growing literally by the day, employers need to keep up-to-date with how these people function and think. While you may be thinking, “Why should I adapt to them? They’re going to work for me?” the reality is that they are not alone. Not only are they going to become your workforce, and you want the best of the best, they represent the likes and dislike of the millennials who will also be come your clientele.

Unlike traditional workers, they don’t always believe that work needs to be accomplished during the standard 9 to 5 work day, nor necessarily within the confines of your office walls, nor does it have to be Monday through Friday.

“What difference does it make where or when I do the work, as long as I get the job done?” More and more, the answer is: it doesn’t…as long as there are proper channels of communication. Enter mobile computing and BYOD (bring your own device) that lets people work from anywhere at any time while staying in touch and having full access to whatever work files they may need.

Right now, more than 85% of millennials have smartphones, whether iPhones or Androids, and it has a major effect on how they communicate with co-workers and superiors. A recent study showed that 41% prefer communicating electronically rather than by speaking over the phone or face-to-face. In fact, 59% said that an important consideration in whether or not to accept a job was whether or not the employer was going to provide state-of-the-art technology. This is so even though many admitted using their own devices right alongside the technology the company supplied. (This writer is writing on his own MacBook right now, which is sitting alongside the perfectly fine computer provided to him. I use both)

If you want to stay ahead of the game, you have to adapt your IT policies accordingly. Modern workers expect modern communications built into a technology ecosystem that may include things like social networking, instant messaging, blogs, wikis, and video on demand. This isn’t for fun and games. These tools are what enable the millennial generation instant connectivity and engagement with co-workers, superiors and customers. Ultimately, they enable these workers to be happier and more productive in their jobs and relate in a more meaningful way to the customers of their own generation. These tools also elevate their creativity and employers who cater to these needs are finding that the real benefit ends up belonging to the company.

DynaSis is an Atlanta managed IT service provider, in business for almost 25 years. DynaSis works with small to mid-sized businesses employing cloud technology where appropriate, and more traditional services when required. We have also been on the forefront of cyber security as well as helping businesses become truly digitized, so they can be the beneficiaries of digital disruption, not the victims.

Being unable to receive technical support when they need it is not only frustrating to your employees, it hurts your business. Your sales people can’t sell, your customer service team cannot provide the assistance your customers need, and the security of your I.T. infrastructure may be at risk.

Your onsite IT administrator can be pulled in a variety of directions including addressing mundane, routine computer and network issues instead of focusing on the bigger picture. The answer: you may be better off using a managed IT service provider to take over you IT Helpdesk chores. Here are some of the reasons:

Benefits of an Outsourced IT Helpdesk Team

1: It can save you money. Lost sales, disgruntled customers/clients…these cost you money, as do unhappy employees. This is particularly true if your client base covers more than a single time zone so that you have people working outside of the typical 9 to 6 time frame.

2: Increased productivity: a good managed IT service provider will have well-trained helpdesk personnel who can quickly resolve the vast majority of issues. They should also have the resources to escalate problems they cannot complete within a short period of time.

3: Fixed monthly fees. A managed IT helpdesk provider can also save you money on fees. Instead of paying for an in-house support team, or bringing in an expensive “break and fix” repair company for each problem, you effectively share this expense with a number of other companies who are using the same service.

4: Frees your IT executive or administrator to focus at improving your IT processes and high level support while the helpdesk team can put out the day-to-day “fires.”

5: Easy contact – single point of contact – always there. No one is always in the office. Your IT admin takes days off, even weeks, has business away from the office, and has days he comes in late or leaves early. Conversely, your outsourced IT helpdesk team is always there, 24 x 7, and can be found at the other end of the line by calling the same phone number anytime.

6: Wider range of expertise. The Information Technology field is so wide-ranging, complex and diverse today that no one person, or small team of people, can possibly have the answers to all the situations that arise. A good IT provider will not only have the helpdesk team, but also a cadre of highly trained IT executives who can provide technical support and advice in a broad range of situations.

Technology today is always changing and always challenging. Choosing the right helpdesk service can make your workplace a more enjoyable place to be, taking the burden off your IT admin, and reducing stress for all your employees.

DynaSis has been providing helpdesk support to Atlanta’s small to midsized business community for a quarter century. The company’s team of 55 professionals, including more than 30 engineers, also provides full design and installation service, along with remote 24 x 7 monitoring and managing of IT infrastructure. DynaSis provides full cloud service, along with traditional onsite solutions, and hybrid systems to match any business’s needs.

While there is no longer any question about the need for I.T. in business today, in many companies there is still the perception that information technology is more of a cost center than a valuable business asset. CFO magazine, in a recent survey, reported that almost 50% of CFOs felt that there was a misalignment between what the business needed from I.T. and what I.T. was providing.

This highlights the importance of CIOs, or whichever company executive is responsible for the company’s I.T. performance, CFOs and other top executives working together, often with the company’s managed IT service provider, to ensure that I.T. is providing the services the company needs. I.T. done right can be a powerful business tool that can help virtually any business thrive and prosper, but if not handled correctly, can just waste time, money, effort and become a true drag on business growth.

In fact, we believe that a business’s I.T. needs to be run like a business itself.

Here are some things you can do to make sure your I.T. is functioning at a high level, not just in terms of stability, but in terms of fulfilling your company’s needs:

1: The employees of your company are I.T. “users”, but they are also the “customers” of the I.T. department. Whether your I.T. is handled in-house, out-sourced through an IT service provider, or co-sourced (a third party augmenting the in-house team), the users should be treated as valued customers and their needs met.

2: On the other hand, there needs to be ongoing employee IT training for several reasons, including: not wasting the time of the I.T. department, not putting company data and infrastructure at risk, as well as enabling each employee to get the most out of all that I.T. offers. At too many companies, employees continue to use outdated methodology with which they are comfortable, when a few minutes, or hours, of getting comfortable with new technologies will make them more productive and more valuable to the entity paying their salaries.

3: Where feasible, actually create a system of charging each department for the IT services it uses in order to give each department head an understanding of the cost vs value relationship.

4: Take a good look at strategic co-sourcing or out-sourcing certain I.T. functions. As smaller businesses grow, this can provide your company with the ability to expand I.T. functions without the need for additional full-time employees. A good I.T. partner will have team members trained in many vital technology areas, a knowledge base that would be hard for your company to achieve on its own.

5: Finally, never stop analyzing and measuring performance with your goal being continual improvement.

Well-conceived, developed and managed IT can cut costs, increase productivity, decrease risk and drive growth, all leading to improved profitability. But to do this, IT and the rest of management must work together to determine the services each of the other departments needs…again, treating these company employees like customers. A company with a positive I.T. culture will constantly be looking for new projects that can help drive the business forward. It is this attitude that takes I.T. from “expense” to powerful business building “asset”.

DynaSis is an Atlanta IT services and cloud computing provider for small and midsized businesses. All of our solutions focus on helping companies achieve the three fundamental IT necessities of the modern business—availability, security and mobility. We specialize in on-demand and on-premises managed IT services, managed cloud infrastructure, desktops and backups, and professional hardware and equipment installation. For more information about DynaSis’ IT support and services, visit www.dynasis.com.